Just Add Ink challenge 81 - Colour Challenge

The talented ladies over at Just Add Ink have given out a REALLY challenging challenge this week!  Check out these colours:

Soooo not colours I would choose straight away, so I had fun seeing what I could come up with.  Lots of sponging and a little bit of tearing (can I ever resist it?!).  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Can you tell I like tearing?

The new SU Impressions newsletter featured a stencilling technique - couldn't wait to try it out!

I used a Scallop punch cutout stamped with Soft Suede as my stencil silhouette, to create a shadow illusion behind the flower... and of course, I tore up the paper!  The ribbon is white organza, dyed on the Early Espresso ink pad with a brayer.

Boy stuff

The children of a dear friend have recently begun sinking their teeth into "big kids" books - no pictures!  So I was commissioned to make them some new bookmarks to celebrate.  I don't often do boy stuff, so I was relishing the challenge...

Here's the result:

More tearing it up

I just love tearing (literally!) into my card stock.  My baby girl's 12th birthday is coming up and she's starting to grow out of the girly-girl stuff into that teenage grunge stage... ease her in slowly, I say!  Not TOO much girly-girl (which I hope she comes back to, like Mum did!), but still a little bit.

I used SU Blushing Bride and Concord Crush on Basic Grey.  The punch trim nicely offsets the torn paper. Couldn't resist a bit of bling!

Just Add Ink challenge 79 - Just Add Tearing/Distressing

LOVING Just Add Ink's challenge this week - tearing up stuff is the one thing I love to do when creating, so the challenge is right up my alley!

The card and main mat are Crumb Cake on Crumb Cake - the mat being torn, polka-dot embossed through the Big Shot, heavily sponged in Crumb Cake and Soft Suede and splattered with Crumb Cake marker and a colour spritzer (can you tell I like Crumb Cake??).

The trims are Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede card and Patterns Stack.  The image is white embossed Elements of Style on a Crumb Cake card piece, again heavily sponged over the image.  The image mat is Soft Suede, distressed with a sanding block and sponged in Soft Suede.

Finished off with a Cherry Cobbler Scallop punch flower with a faux suede effect and centred with a Boho Blossoms punched centre in So Saffron Patterns Stack, and a silver brad.  Phew!

Loving the sewing machine

I've always liked the effect of sewing on card and, seeing as I had the sewing machine at the ready after a quilting spell, thought I would give it a go!  It made a great border!  I used Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke on Sahara Sand as my colour combo.

Just Add Ink challenge 74 - fancy folds blog hop!

Touring around the Just Add Ink's DT blogs trying to choose a particular fancy fold was no mean feat today - they are all so cool!  I decided to go with the trishutter card on Kim's blog, as I've always wanted to do one of these and have never gotten around to it...  Kim's awesome card was the inspiration I needed!

I did the card entirely with Lap of Luxury DSP, with a Sahara Sand textured 12x12 as the base and a little Blushing Bride pattern paper.

The gorgeous children are my two beautiful daughters, who DO make my life beautiful.  :)

Color Lab 46 & Inkspirations 75 challenges

What a fantastic mix!  I had a marvellous time creating this card and I'm very happy with it!  

Check out the other Color Lab creations and the gorgeous Inkspirations designs.  They're beautiful.

Card: Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand textured card stock, Bravo Burgundy Patterns Stack

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Music Notes roller, Delight in Life (r)

Ink: Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy, Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi

Misc: Colour Spritzer, Rhinestones

Just Add Ink Challenge 73

I'm just LOVING the sketch challenge over at Just Add Ink this week.  I decided to use red - one of my favourite colours!

A huge thanks to the lovely Julie Butler for the Love Letter DSP... it's going on my wish list!

Card: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Love Letter DSP

Stamps: Defining Alphabet

Ink: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler

Misc: Dimensionals, Rhinestones

Challenge Time!

Hi de hi!  After have a look at some of the challenges, I got very excited to find some more to enter!  Combine a couple of them and voila - your card is virtually made!

The challenges I've entered this card into are:

jac-ink's Papercrafts Challenge #8 - Heat embossing
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #46 - Embossing
The Spotlight Challenge - Inchies!  (a concept I've discovered I LOVE!)

So without further ado - voila!

 

This week's DEAL OF THE WEEK...

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
121578	37	Tag Alongs Wood-Mount Set	$38.95	$23.37
120468	59	More Monkey Accessories Clear-Mount Set	$29.95	$17.97
121550	59	More Monkey Accessories Wood-Mount Set	$36.95	$22.17
120003	75	Cottage Garden Clear-Mount Set	$31.95	$19.17
119163	75	Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Set	$39.95	$23.97
121494	98	Compliments to the Chef Wood-Mount Set	$43.95	$26.37

Now you didn't see her, now you DO!

Hi-de-hi!  With all the studying and what-not, my blog (and stamping!) has been coming a poor second.  But here I am, sleeves rolled up and ready to post!

My entry this week is for Just Add Ink's sketch challenge and for The Color Throwdown's colour challenge #140.  Awesome sketch, cool colours - what more could a girl ask for!

I'm still loving playing with my heat tool and all the embossy stuff.  The Sahara Sand textured card stock has been stamped with Whisper White ink, then random flowers have been stamped again with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder.  I then sponged it with Crumb Cake to give it extra depth.

I also heat embossed flowers from the Sweet Summer set onto the Blushing Bride mat.  Of course, everything has been heavily spritzed for that vintage-y look!

Card stock: Sahara Sand 12x12 textured card, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Blushing Bride

Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand & Crumb Cake markers.

Stamps:  Bliss, Sweet Summer (Sale-A-Bration 2011, r), Happy Harmony (r).

Miscellaneous: White embossing powder, rhinestones, heat tool, scallop trim border, colour spritzer

Yay for new toys!

Yippee skippy joy joy!  I got a lovely box of goodies from Stampin' Up! yesterday (seriously, it's like Christmas!) and couldn't wait to try them all out.  The first thing I was into was my new heat tool and all the things I needed to have my first go at heat embossing.  All I can say is "WOW!"  Talk about fun!  So I decided to use my goodies to enter my first Inkspirations Challenge.  Here's the sketch:

As my friends know, I'm usually a pinky-girly girl, so every now and then I like to use colours I don't use much.  Like now!

For the butterfly silhouette, I used the Bliss set and white-embossed on Whisper White.  Then I sponged on Bashful Blue and used my new colour spritzer tool to splat Night of Navy over the butterfly.  When it was completely dry, I used a tissue to wipe the ink off the butterfly.  I couldn't resist a little bit of bling - a rhinestone jewel.

RECIPE:

Card stock - Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (and patterns stack), Whisper White, Rose Red

Stamps - Bliss

Ink - Versamark, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy

Other stuff - Scallop border punch, embossing equipment, rhinestone jewel, colour spritzer, Beautiful Wings die

Just Add Ink Challenge #59 and Colour Throwdown #132

Time has been flying by now that I am studying again!  It was nice with sit down and balance out the academic with the creative this week.

This week's post is for Just Add Ink's sketch challenge this week - it's a doozy!

I have also entered it into The Colour Throwdown for the first time!  Delicious colour combo, too:

I really enjoyed making this - my niece had her baby shower today, so it was nice to give her something special.  It's a little box that she can keep baby's first haircut and first teeth in.

I substituted Soft Sky for Marina Mist - closest thing to it!  Here you go:

RECIPE:

Card stock - Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Crumb Cake Paper Patterns Stack

Stamps - Music Note roller, Defining Alphabet, Echoes of Kindness, Loving Hearts (r)

Ink - Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Other - Very Vanilla 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Baja Breeze ribbon (r), Scallop Circle punch, dimensionals

Amy-June's birthday

Yay!  A completely guilt-free reason to make a really, really girly card!  My niece, Amy is turning 7 and she is a girl after my own heart - a pink girly blingy girl!

It's big - I used a whole A4 sheet of card folded in half to make this.  I dug out the Beautiful Butterflies die and the Dazzling Diamonds (of course!)

Hope you like it.  :)

Recipe:

Card stock - Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Bella Rose DSP (r)

Ink - Rose Red, Old Olive

Stamps - Circle Circus, Yummy (r)

Other - silver brads, Dazzling Diamonds, extra-large Scallop Circle punch, extra-large Circle punch, Blushing Bride 1/2" Stitched-Poly ribbon

Just Add Ink challenge 57 - a colour combo

Make sure you have a look at the gorgeous designs over at Just Add Ink using this colour combo:

I have to confess to never using River Rock before, as I thought it was an icky colour.  Boy, was I wrong!  I had so much fun playing with these colours - I already have future projects in my head using River Rock!

Recipe:

Card stock - Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, River Rock + Patterns stack, Bella Rose DSP (r)

Ink - Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Stamps - Circle Circus, Elements of Style, Music Notes roller

Misc - Eyelet Border punch, silver brads, dimensionals, corner punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslits

If you'd like to learn how to make this card, contact me to book a workshop!

Just Add Ink challenge 56 - a Sketch Challenge

The design team over at Just Add Ink have given us a sketch this week - make sure you have a look at the fantastic designs!

Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive - one of my favourite colour combinations!  If you like this card, why not book a workshop?  I'll show you how!

RECIPE:

Card stock - Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Soft Suede Patterns Pack

Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede

Stamps - Elements of Style

Other - Rich Razzleberry 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, snail adhesive, dimensionals, Eyelet Border punch, small corner punch

Swapsies are fun!

Milestone moment - my first swap!  I wanted to use my favourite stampset - Vintage Vogue.  It's so versatile, not to mention utterly gorgeous!  Apart from the sentiment, I challenged myself to only use Versamark - the card, the So Saffron mat and the flowers are all stamped with Versamark only.

Card stock: Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, ( + Paper Patterns stack)
Ink: Versamark, Soft Suede
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Other: Silver brad, Blushing Bride1/2" Stitched-Poly ribbon, dimensionals

Stamping friends & playdates

A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend a rare afternoon stamping with a lovely friend & fellow stamper, Julz - check out her fabulous blog here.  One of the great things about sharing with likeminded crafters is exchanging ideas and techniques - I had never made an easel card before, so Julz showed me how.

A little colour...

Time to spotlight the Subtles collection... the colours are so light and whimsical!  Perfect for a little something to say how much you care.

 RECIPE...

Card stock: Whisper White, So Saffron Patterns Paper stack
Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Stamps:  Loving Hearts (r)
Other: So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (r), dimensionals

Just Add Ink challenge 55

Seeing as it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, the "Just Add LOVE" theme is very appropriate.  Take a look at some of the fabulous entries in this week's challenge.

I got my inspiration for this week's challenge from doing the dishes!  I was washing some empty coffee jars and thought, "Ah ha! I can use those!"

The 3-layer image on the jar lid was 2 circles (I spritzed the Basic Gray one with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz) and I layered a piece of "Lap of Luxury" DSP on top.  Then I covered the entire lid with Crystal Effects to give it a nice shiny seal.

RECIPE:
Card stock: Blushing Bride, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, Lap of Luxury DSP, Bella Rose DSP (r)
Stamps: Happy Harmony, Scribble jumbo wheel, Yummy (r), Too Terrific Tags (r)
Ink: Basic Gray, Rose Red, Silver Foil Smooch Spritz
Other: silver brads, Victoria crochet trim lace, twine

A big thank you to the lovely Julie Butler for coming to my rescue with lace and twine!

I couldn't help myself.  I ate two of the biscuits.

More butterflies!

Here's a completely different project using the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die... yet still stunningly effective:

I often overlook the Organic Grace stamp set, but the flower worked beautifully here.  I stamped them with Whisper White Craft ink.  The black butterfly has been sprayed with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz... this is a new toy for me and I LOVE how it gives such a delicate sparkle!

Card stock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White
Stamps: Sincere Salutations
Other: silver brads, Eyelet border punch, dimensionals

Playing with butterflies

I never need an excuse to play with the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die - there are so many different projects you can use it on!  You will see it popping up on a number of blog posts...

Card stock: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi, Night of Navy, Night of Navy patterns stack.
 Ink: Soft Suede, Basic Black, Versamark
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Other: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die

Just Add Ink challenge 54

It's a colour challenge over at Just Add Ink this week... yummy scrummy pinks and browns!  Here's the colour combo:

 I CASEd this card layout from a fabulous book called "175 Fresh Card Ideas", that I found at the local library - check it out on Amazon here.  Loads of different ideas and designs! 

Anyway!  Here's my card:

The strips (and the Rose Red mat) have all been sponged and pounced with Soft Suede for that lovely vintage-y look.  The stamps I used were: Delight in Life, Organic Grace and Yummy.

Just Add Ink 53 - an Inspiration Challenge

I have to say a HUGE thank you to the girls over at Just Add Ink this week, for giving us an inspiration challenge - it has been the funnest challenge I have done so far (and that's saying a lot!  They've all been great!).

The directive was: "Take a look at our beautiful picture, take inspiration from it (e.g. from this photo you could take the colours, or flowers, or just something that makes you happy!) and we'd love you to tell us in your link how the picture inspired you."

Here's the picture:

I decided to do a scrapbook page for this challenge - something I have been putting off as I found it a very daunting prospect!  However, once I got started, it just evolved.  So - take heart!  If the thought of filling up a whole 12 x 12 page scares you, it's a lot easier than you think.  :)

There is a story behind this project.  The pictures were taken 14 years ago - the child is my (now) 15-year-old daughter.  I knew one day I would want to do something very special with the pictures and as soon as I saw the Just Add Ink inspiration picture, I knew instantly I wanted to use these particular photos.

The main colour collection I used was the Stampin' Up! Subtles collections - perfect for a light, summery layout.  I deliberately went crazy with the layout of the flowers - I wanted to create the illusion of a wild flowery garden.

I'm not listing every product I used, as it would take forever to list!  However, please feel free to contact me if you would like to know anything about a specific product or technique I have used here.

Enjoy!

More inspiration!

I found another colour combination in the Stampin' Up! Ideas catalogue that I was keen to try out:

Early Espresso / Cherry Cobbler / Crumb Cake / Very Vanilla

The "With Love" flower was made with the Scallop Circle punch.  I had to cut the circle out by hand, as I don't have that size Circle punch (yet!).  I stamped the heart in Rose Red and the words in Soft Suede.

Enjoy.  :)

A little early for Valentine's Day...

But I couldn't wait any longer!  I just LOVE doing blingy, pink girly cards, so I didn't really need any prompting.  It also makes me look ultra-organised.  :)

Lots of brads, Blushing Bride ribbon and my Eyelet Border punch teamed up with Cherry Cobbler, Blushing Bride and Elegant Eggplant card stock, Cherry Cobbler DSP and the "Delight in Life" stamp set made this such a fun project!

 

Doing a tidy-up... a sneak peek

I thought you might like a behind-the-scenes look at my (constantly evolving!) stamping area!

I find, as  I collect more and more stamping goodies, I need to revamp my storage systems.  I've gone from everything in a 60 litre trundle container to a little desk with some trays to my current load.

My dream is to have a whole ROOM custom-made for stamping... I've seen some absolutely amazing set-ups!  Lucky, lucky ladies!

DESK version 1:

DESK version 2 (as it is now):
FYI - the adorable blue card on my desk is one my 11-year-old daughter just made for me, bless her.  The addiction is contagious!

What you can't see, off to the right of the picture, is the HUGE crate filled with stamp sets!
 

 I'm having a thing about plastic A4 drawer sets at the moment - can you tell???

Just Add Ink 52

The girls over at Just Add Ink have thrown us a neat sketch challenge this week!  Make sure you head over and have a look at the awesome entries - there are some talented ladies out there!!

I haven't done a 3D project for a little while, so I decided to make the Carry It project from Lauren Meader's fantastic My Time Made Easy website - amazing 3D templates for a really affordable price.

I incorporated the sketch challenge into the roof of the house/box:

Ingredients:

Card stock - Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Elegant Eggplant pattern stack.
Ink: Basic Grey, Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Versamark
Stamps: Delight in Life, Too Terrific Tags, Yummy
Misc: silver brad, Top Note die, Eyelet border punch, Extra Large Tag punch.